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Barbara Brocchini’s World of Creativity

Posted by Kevin McCarthy on October 01, 2018

Barbara Brocchini biography interview

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Meet Bob and Mary Fuller

Here in Montevalle, residents recall the mid-nineties but few can claim that figure as their present age as Bob and Mary Fuller do. Residents here since 1990, their initial attraction to Montevalle began while attending a party at resident Ruth Fogel’s home. “It was a beautiful place out in the country,” recalled the pair. “There were opportunities to become involved in the community, neighbors you could call on and talk to, or you could be more private.” Both enjoyed many of Montevalle’s social activities, including an RV club that took many trips, community dinners held at the Redwood Grove and dances that sometimes lasted until midnight. “We got to know Rey Retzlaff (one of Montevalle’s founders) very well.” Bob served a term as Montevalle Board President. A native of the Bay Area, Bob earned an electrical engineering degree from UC Berkeley while also enrolled in ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps). Upon graduation and with World War II raging, he was sent to New ...

Barbara Brocchini’s World of Creativity

Combining measures of perseverance and empathy with a lifelong quest for knowledge, understanding and artistic expression, Barbara Brocchini's accomplishments are many, yet she is fueled by the belief there is so much more to discover and experience. The longtime special education instructor earned a B.A. in English and a Master's in Education followed by years of working with special needs children with Saratoga Union School District, in Hawaii, and with Soquel High. She accomplished this while also raising a family of three children, which quickly became six after her marriage to the love of her life, Mario, in 1984. After her teaching career, she took a deep dive into the arts. It's an element that bubbled just below the surface for years. With her father being an accomplished saxophonist—"He was very musical and had a band when he was in college"—Barbara learned how to read music and play the piano from Montevalle resident Sylvia Lee. Taking ad...

Meet Marie Cotterman

What do St. Louis, Fort Wayne, Nashua, Rocklin, Sunnyvale and Scotts Valley have in common? Give up? The cultural scenes of these municipalities have been blessed by the musical contributions of Marie Cotterman. Born in St. Louis, she credits two opportunities for her lifelong kinship with music. “I attended St. John’s Academy, a K-12 school in south St. Louis where there were never more than seven students in a class. There I had my first singing tryout was and was taught to memorize. During the Depression years, we (Marie plus an older and younger brother) went to the Haugen Conservatory of Music two blocks away. It cost $7 a month for all three kids. All of us loved it. I took singing, piano and dance lessons. We never got into any trouble after school because we were always there. I do want to say that Mrs. Haugen had the patience of a saint.” Marie’s family was quite the musical household. “My Dad had a good voice but my youngest brother, Carl, had THE voice in the f...

Meet Glenn Healy

"Why are you so congenial?" "It pays the same." That philosophical reply exemplifies Glenn Healy. A 16-year Montevalle resident along with his wife Pat, Healy has encountered his share of ups-and-downs, including one incident more serious than most of us will ever face in our lifetimes, and yet he makes Dale Carnegie look like a piker. When you are in the area behind the Mill, you'll more than likely be warmly greeted by him and depart feeling uplifted by the encounter. Perhaps it’s because Healy suffered an accident when he was a youngster and probably isn't supposed to still be with us. "I was shot in the head when I was 11," he recalled. "My brother and I were out hunting and I got to a good spot to shoot. My brother began to go further on to flush out the birds and rabbits but he slipped, fell down and his gun accidentally went off. A .22 caliber bullet went into the left side of my forehead and exited the right."...

Kevin McCarthy: I write because I must. A day without writing and therefore learning is a lost opportunity. May I do justice to all who are portrayed. Namaste.

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